wuelfinq



' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-sheen 1.

H'. WUELFING. BOTTLING MACHINE.

No. 523,392. Patented'J-uly 24, 1894.

ITIN

l l F l 1-f1? /l f b l,

34' A Hu'g wualfin'g,

- 2 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

BOTTLING MACHINE.

No. 523,392. l Patented July 24, 1894.v

"Haz/In.

dll' l. nl

tmf;

UNITED-[STATES PATENT-- HUGO wUnLmNqron iNDmNAPoLIsYINDIANA, Assis-Nor. oF ONE-FOURTH To PAUL wUELFINe, or SAME PLACE.

BoT-TLlNc-MACH'IN-.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,392, dated uly 24, 1894. Application filed May 4, 1894:. Serial NoI 510,041. 4(No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it knowuthat I, HUGO WUELFI'NG, a citizen of the United States, residingat Indianapol1s,in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottling-Machines, of which the following is a specication.

The object of my said invention is to pro,- duce a machine for bottling liquids by means 1o lof which a number of bottles may be filled equally and uniformly, and the liquid at the same time kept from contact withthe outer air. A machine embodying-said invention will f 5 be first fully described and the novel features p thereof then pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar zo parts, Figure l is a perspective view illustrating a machine embodying mysaidinvention in condition for use; Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view showing the machine and bottles as they are arranged while the iilling is going on;

z 5 Figs. 3 and 4 detail views showing two positions of an uneven bottle; Fig. 5 a detail sectional view of the bottle-neck guide ou an enl larged scale, and Fig. 6 a sectional viewillustrating an alternative construction of the bot- 3o tle-neck guide.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the frame-work in which my machine is mounted; B the tube leadingfrom a tank, barrel, or any otherA suitable source 3 5 of supply (not shown); C` liquid-distributing tubes connected to the tube B; D bottle lling nozzles connected to the tubes C; E bottie-neck guides upon the nozzles D, and F an air vent or valve.

4o The frame A is, in the construction shown, mounted upon the table A', and supports the bottle-filling mechanism. Said table A cary ries a vertically movable platform A2 which may be operated by a screw-rod AS and appropriate gearing, as illustrated in Fig. l.

` Upon this platform may be placed a case or receptacle R forY the bottles, in which said bottles are usually placed while being filled, and which may, if properly constructed, be

5o the same case used in subsequently handling the bottles. While being filled, said bottles are raised, by means of the platform and the operating gearing, to the positionk shown in Fior. 2.

'Ihe tube or pipe B is a simple conduit for 55 the liquid from the source of supply to my improved apparatus. At a convenient point it is provided Withy the cock B', by which the flow of liquid can be shutoff, or regulated, as desired.

, The tubes C are, in one sense, branches of the tube B, and extend the required distance across the machine, theirv length being dependent upon the size of the machine, as will bel readily understood. The machine illustrated is of a size or capacity sufficient to receive and fill twenty-four bottles at one operation. These tubes C preferably have a hollow iin Cf vupon the upper side which extends up some distance, thus giving free'communi- 7o cation at its upper level between all the nozzles or branches leading therefrom, and conducing to equal flow and pressure throughout the machine.

The nozzles D are simply pipes, preferably of a double-Siphon form, secured to the upper side of the tube C (or its iin when the latter is used), which branch each way', andextend down a sufficient distance so that when the bottles are in proper position said nozzles 8o will nearly reach the bottom of said bottles, as illustrated in Fig. 2. As these nozzles are all of the same size and connected tothe tubes C at the same level, which tubes are of considerably greater capacity than the noz- 35` zles separately, it will be readilyjseen that the flow to each bottle will be equal, and that the bottles will all be filled at practically the same instant of time. Should, however, there be some slight variation, the operator, by watching the filling, and shutting off the flow of liquid at the proper time, and then permitting the bottles to remain a moment, the K pressure inside the apparatus being equal at l all points, the bottle or bottles that are in- 95 completely iilled will at once be equalized with the others, by reason of the tendency of connected bodies of liquid to settle at a common level. When the iiow is shut off, the air pressure will hold the liquid inside the pipes suspended, and prevent it from running out. The bottle-neck guides E are mounted upon ICO the nozzles D, which are provided with collars cl at the lower ends to support said botcle-neck guides as shown. Said guides are in the form of an inverted funnel, and are arranged to travel easily up and down the nozzles. At the point where the n'eck n of one of the bottles O finally rests they are of sufticient size to receive the neck of said bottle, and taper therefrom in all directions. It' in the raising of the bottles, after they have been placed in the machine, some of the necks do not of themselves exactly register with the filling nozzles, these guides will cause them to move sidewise until they do register, (as illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4,) said guides being of considerable weight. When the bottlc-necks are exactly registered with the filling nozzles, of course the continued upward movement carries the guides with them to the posltion shown in Fig. 2. Said bottle-neck guides may be provided with anti-friction rollers or balls e to facilitate their travel up and down the nozzle-tubes D.' Instead of these separate bottle-neck guides, as shown 1n the principal drawings, I may provide a board in which a number of guide-flanges E' are secured equal to the number of bottles, and arranged with their-centers the same distance apart as the centers of the filling nozzles, and such a board so provided with guide anges may be placed upon the tray of bottles before it is placed in the machine.

Small funnel-shaped extensions e upon the upper side of the board will serve (asthe tray carrying the bottles is raised) to guide the nozzles down through into the bottles, with the same result as where the separate bottle neck guides are used, as above described.

The air vent or valve F is connected in any suitable manner to the tube C, and serves the ordinary purpose of such a device. Manifestly, when it is desired tofully empty the tubes and nozzles, the admission of air from the top is necessary, which is readily effected by means of this vent valve. Said valve F should be close to the connecting pipe, so as to prevent air from accumulating in the pipes.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a bottle-filling machine, of supply tubes arranged at a level for receiving and distributing the liquid, branches extending upwardly from the top of said tubes and thence each way and down to form bottle-filling nozzles, means for shutting off or regulating the iiow of liquid, a ver tically movable platform or case spaced to receive the bottles and maintain them at distances between centers corresponding to distances between centers of the filling nozzles, and mechanism for raising and lowering said platform, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, in a bottle-filling machine, of the liquid distributing tube C having hollow iins C upon the upper side, bottleiilling nozzles of Siphon-like form communieating with the upper side of said fin and extending over and down and thus adapted to enter the bottles, a vertically moving platform or case for the' bottles, and mechanism for raising and lowering the same, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the nozzles of a bottle-filling machine, of a set of bottle-neck guides mounted in a board and consisting of guide flanges E extending below said board and adapted to come in contact with the necks of the bottles, and funnel-shaped extensions e extending above the board and adapted to guide the nozzles down through said guides, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, in a bottle-tilling machine, of supply tubes for receiving the liquid arranged at a level, numerous bottle-filling nozzles branching from said tubes and adapted to extend into said bottles, a common source of supply to whieh'said tubes are connected, and a single cock or valve adapted to open and close, or regulate, said source of supply, whereby numerous bottles can be filled lat a single operation, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 30th day of April, A. D. 1894.

Huso wUELmNe. [ns1 Witnesses:

CHESTER BRADFORD, PAUL WUELFING. 

